The Luckiest
by fairyfan777
Summary: LaxusxJuvia Oneshot: Over many years and several major disappointments, they grew together. Complete!


_AN: I received a Laxus/Juvia request in my inbox and I was like 'nah.' And then I thought about it and I decided, YEAH! So yes, all of you who click on my stories because you like LaLu, sorry, Juvia-chan's night with the lightning dragon._

They jokingly called themselves the unlucky ones.

Lightning and water were a deadly combination whenever they occurred together naturally, and as time went by, they were drawn to one another. Usually, it was without purpose or intention and they'd simply end up in close physical proximity, but as time continually ticked by, Laxus noticed things about Juvia as she continued to exist in his periphery.

Juvia was beautiful, powerful, and loyal unto death.

She wasted years of her life waiting for a future that never came. It wasn't Gray's fault that he didn't love her, but it was his fault that he didn't communicate that with her clearly enough to break the threads between them.

So he watched, day in and day out, as she pined for him, until months became years, and then a decade. Everyone else from her age group except Juvia and Gray married, had kids, and found happiness in family, but Juvia didn't have those things, so she steadily climbed the magical ladder until she was one of the most powerful wizards in the guild.

By the time Laxus became guildmaster, he'd seen the peculiar dynamic where the ones who chose matrimony and motherhood in some ways envied Juvia's power, but Juvia would have traded it all in an instant to have what they had.

Yet, she couldn't let Gray go.

Laxus got married and divorced three years later after two miscarriages left him in a marriage with an angry alcoholic who didn't want to be with him anymore. When the marriage started, he'd been ready to be a good family man and take care of his wife, but by the time the dust settled, he didn't care anymore. Not about her, not about the family they didn't have, and not even really about himself.

Juvia kept him on task and on target and they went on jobs often. He knew she was looking out for him, because her heart was still hanging in the balance and she prayed that all her faith in Gray would pay off.

But it didn't. Juvia's world crumbled a few years later when he chose another, and she was left weeping in the shadows. Gray made a baby and got married, and Juvia's devastation was total.

By that time, Laxus was the guildmaster, he was buried in paperwork, he was consumed by duty, but because he'd watched it all play out, he couldn't let her fade away into oblivion. He kept her close during that time, making sure she stayed busy with jobs and he even put her to work helping the younger wizards.

Her loyalty turned toward the guild, and toward him as time went by and she put the pieces of her broken spirit back together. Since Juvia was a pillar of strength in the guild and she was alone, she was always available when he needed her, and he became accustomed to calling upon her when he was in any kind of pinch, much like Makarov and Mirajane had been.

One day, Juvia realized how much they'd accomplished together over the years, and how instrumental he had been in her life. She felt something, but she was afraid. And when he awkwardly tested the waters, she allowed him to find them colder than they were. He asked; she turned him down.

Laxus married again, and there was a baby on the way not long after. The problem was that it wasn't his, and 'Wife2' (as he referred to her later) said it was because he left her at home too much. On his six-month anniversary, he was inking the divorce papers.

As the guildmaster, he was responsible for setting a good example for the others, so when life served him lemons, he squeezed them in the eyes of his enemies, or something like that. Everyone was looking up to him, so he couldn't show anyone how disappointed or frustrated he really was that at the age of forty, he still went home to a bare apartment.

Juvia entered his office that day with a stack of mail and started to sort it accordingly. Bills went in one stack, inquiry letters in another, potential jobs in his inbox, complaints from the Council in the trash bin, and so forth.

Laxus looked up and said, "It's been raining a lot lately."

He stretched, put his feet up on the desk, and crossed his arms as he lounged back in his chair.

The bluenette noticed more silver hair near his temples and for a moment, she thought about how he was when he was young and they'd first met. Age had softened his hard edges, heartbreak had made him more gentle, yet more resilient, and he had some wrinkles. She liked him like this.

"What?" he asked.

"You're looking more like Master Makarov as you get older."

Laxus shrugged and put a hand in his hair. "I've been noticing a lot of hair in my sink. Life is great these days. Twice divorced, no family, lonely apartment, and now I'm starting to lose my hair. I used to think Gramps was shit at life for ending up exactly like that, and here I am. I think I might actually be worse off."

Juvia smiled softly at him. "I think you're handsome."

"You're aging a lot better than me, you know. Your features are a little softer, and I think it makes you more beautiful," he answered.

It was true; Juvia looked _amazing_ at thirty-five. Her body was in amazing shape, and she had the timeless kind of beauty that allowed her to seemingly age in slow motion.

The water mage blushed a little, and seemed nervous. It had been over two years since he asked her about _them_ , and since that time, she'd only felt the sting of loneliness and the regret that she didn't tell him that she'd like to be with him. He was her comfort zone, and yet the idea of them still scared her. There was a part of her that was terrified she'd experience the sting of disappointment like she had when Gray chose someone else.

Laxus felt her looking at him a certain kind of way and his grin widened slightly. Over the years, he'd grown to truly care for her. He'd never had a closer friend or more loyal confidant, and she was beautiful, kind, and strong. He knew she had some feelings for him, but she'd been seriously bruised so when she'd turned down his advance two years prior, he didn't make a big deal about it.

They had moments like this often, and he wondered if they'd always just be people who admired one another from arm's length.

He sat up in the chair and stuck his divorce papers in an envelope. "I've been divorced for about ten minutes now. Have you at all reconsidered that question I asked you back then?"

"Which question?"

He looked up into her blue eyes. "The one where you give in to my quickly-fading charms."

Juvia sat on the desk and looked down at him, seeming amused.

He was encouraged by this, because the first time he asked, she'd seemed scared.

"I think that you'll always be charming, Master Laxus. Just like Master Makarov."

The lightning wizard threw a paper clip at her and smirked. "I want to tell you I think I'd be a good husband, but I've been divorced twice so I know I'm bad at it. The good news is you pretty much know what to expect. I'm really good in bed. I'm really bad at controlling my temper."

Juvia had a fragile psyche even though she was such a strong wizard, and after Gray, she didn't think she'd ever be able to trust anyone. Laxus was a good man though and he'd been mishandled as much as she had.

They'd met when she was seventeen and now at the age of thirty-five, Laxus had been there for over half of her life. He'd been the most important figure of the last decade of her life, and he'd never turned on her, never hurt her intentionally, never been careless or left her alone when she was scared to say she needed a little company.

Their lives had played out in a terribly imperfect way. His first marriage ended in bitter tragedy, his second in infidelity, and she remained unkissed, unloved, and untouched even at her age. Sometimes, she felt stupid for wishing to have a family when she didn't even know what it was like to even be loved by a man.

Juvia looked down and quietly said, "I've always wanted a family."

"I'm kind of in the same position, Juvia. So just say yes and don't give up."

XXX

Laxus and Juvia eloped on a Friday, and it was like their lives had been waiting for that to happen all along. He took her to a secluded beach resort for their honeymoon, and he unraveled her tightly-wound, apprehensive soul in between the sheets of their hotel room. After so many years of nothing working in his personal life the way he wanted it too, he felt refreshed, and hopeful as he took his time and taught Juvia how great it was to be touched.

The morning after, she woke up grinning.

The stone in her heart that reminded her of the pain she'd endured was replaced by a brilliant, wonderful hope for the future.

That was the happiest and most exciting in either of their lives, and they recovered from being somewhat disappointed, jaded adults to feeling like they were young and in love. Laxus felt like her innocence brought that feeling, but he was grateful for it.

Juvia got pregnant quickly and they watched as her stomach grew, and on their one-year anniversary, they welcomed two blue-eyed twin boys. He was so happy he cried, but she never told anyone. That was their secret moment of victory, where they felt the most perfect happiness after so many years of struggling.

And as they raised their family, they knew their love story maybe wasn't the best. It wasn't overly romantic, and it wasn't particularly exciting, but it was perfect for them. When they were young, they never would have been able to see their future together, but fate took them on a long and difficult route and it led to each other.

Five years after their marriage, Gray died while on a job. It was a tragedy that shook the guild to its core, but as Juvia sat at the funeral, she found herself grateful that she wasn't sitting in the seat of the widow. Had he chosen her, and not _her_ , then the greater pain would have been later on. Juvia had envied the woman for many years, but now Juvia could understand that her path in life was the best even if it had hurt.

By then, she felt like she probably only would have been truly happy with Laxus anyway, since her love for Gray never had the depth her decade-long slow burn with the lightning wizard did.

They found their relationship grew in reverse: most people started out 'in love' and eventually simmered down to 'good friends.' They started out as 'good friends' and boiled up to 'madly in love,' where they remained for the rest of their lives together.

In the end, they considered themselves the luckiest.

 _ **Please Review!**_


End file.
